Halling/Crow 1

Jeremy Halling, Tyler Crow

Conlin

Engineering Applications

16 December 2016

Final Problem Statement

Organizations such as the Center for Disease Control, UNEP (United Nations

Environmental Protection), UN-Water, and even universities participating in related studies have

agreed that the quality and availability of drinking water across the globe has been compromised.

Polluted water that cannot be used for drinking, bathing, industry or agriculture may

effectively reduce the amount of water available for use in a given area. According to the UN,

approximately 3.5 million deaths related to inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene

occur each year, predominantly in developing countries.

The hearth of the issue exists in no single location. Its effect is more detrimental and

prevalent in developing countries, because they often lack the economic stability and

government originations to take immediate, large scale action. The CDC noted an estimated

801,000 children younger than 5 years of age perish from diarrhea each year, mostly in

developing countries. This amounts to 11% of the 7.6 million deaths of children under the age of

five and means that about 2,200 children are dying every day as a result of diarrheal diseases

(CDC 1). However, in states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, citizens face the same problem.

A Penn State study discovered, A survey of private water supplies (individual homes using
 Halling/Crow 2

groundwater wells) across Pennsylvania in 2006 and 2007 found that 12 percent contained

unsafe lead levels of above 15 g/L. The survey also found that high lead levels could nearly

always be explained by corrosion of lead from metal plumbing components (Galford 1).

The need for drinking water has been recognized and met with the growth of civilizations

across the world. However, with growing industries comes waste, which must be disposed of

somewhere. While it is common for factories to dispose of their waste in water sources, they

often filter it as to make as little damage as possible. National Geographic confirms But you

may find a different picture in parts of the developing world, where there is less

infrastructurepolitically, economically, and technicallyto deal with the barrage of pollution

threats facing freshwater and all of the species that rely on it (National Geographic 1).

According to WASH (Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene), Worldwide, 780 million

people do not have access to an improved water source. The source also verifies that unsafe

drinking water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation

together contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrheal diseases. Worldwide, millions of

people are infected with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), many of which are water and/or

hygiene-related, such as Guinea Worm Disease, Buruli Ulcer, Trachoma, and Schistosomiasis.

Such diseases often found in areas with unsafe drinking water, and as a result, little to no

sanitation and insufficient hygiene practices. Although there are solutions to test and filter out

harmful bacteria from water, there is still a need for newer and simpler solutions.
 Halling/Crow 3

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11

Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.

"Lead in Drinking Water (Water Quality)." Water Quality (Penn State Extension). N.p., n.d.

Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

"Water Quality." UN-Water: Water Quality. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.